Villages/Lady Lake
A 16-year-old male student from Lake Hills Academy in Mascotte was arrested today for having a handgun on a Lake County school bus this morning. The school’s administration was notified after another student on the bus saw the student with the gun. By that time, the bus had already departed from the school.
Deputies had reason to believe that the gun was left on the bus and not brought into the school. They quickly began investigating the claim and responded to the bus parking lot located on Golf Links Avenue in Eustis. Upon searching the bus, a Glock handgun was located on the back seat, concealed in a sweatshirt. The gun was holstered and unloaded; no ammunition was found.
Deputies continued investigating and were able to review footage from the bus’s security camera, which showed 16-year-old Trace James Richardson removing his sweatshirt and leaving it in that same seat.
ased upon witness statements and the video evidence, Richardson was arrested and charged with possessing a firearm on school property. He will be detained by the Division of Juvenile Justice.
Lake Hills Academy is an alternative school located at 513 Albrook Street in Mascotte.
Detectives assigned to the Lake County sheriff’s Cyber Crimes Unit recently concluded a 4-day operation targeting subjects online attempting to meet children for sexual activity. The investigation, dubbed Operation Welcome to Detention, resulted in six arrests for various sex-related crimes.
Detectives conducted the operation August 24-27, during which time they posed online as either a 13- or 14-year-old child. The subjects traveled to the predetermined location with the intent to have sex with whom they thought was the child and were taken into custody upon arrival. All suspects were arrested without incident.
This operation would not have been possible without the cooperation and support from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and other member agencies of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Walking is a part of many of our trips each day, and for some it is their primary mode of transportation. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, October is Pedestrian Safety Month. The goal is to increase awareness around pedestrian safety and remind drivers to watch for pedestrians every time they are behind the wheel. There are many residential neighborhoods, shopping plazas, and other areas where pedestrians become drivers and vice versa. Here are a few tips as a reminder of how you can remain safe and keep others safe as well.
Everyone Is a Pedestrian
At some point in the day, everyone is a pedestrian. Whether it’s walking to your car, walking to the office, or walking for exercise. Everyone deserves to get to their destination safely.
To do this, drivers must:
Look for pedestrians. Children and teens can be less predictable and run out into the roadway without looking. Be especially careful around schools, residential neighborhoods, and near parks and playgrounds. Buckle up, watch the posted speed limits, focus on the driving task, and drive sober. Lives depend on it. Continue reading
Lady Lake Chamber had there monthly referral luncheon. It was well attended as you can see. Good crowd met a few nice business people. I never know when I will find a business person wanting to buy an ad. One was sold. Come to the next Luncheon next month. Check with the Chamber 352-7523-6029.
Students have returned to school in the tri-county area. Your child’s safety is our number one priority. Please take a few moments to review back-to-school safety with your child.
Walking To School
If your child walks to school, make sure there are sidewalks along the way. If you are not able to walk with your child, remember there is safety in numbers so have your child walk with siblings or other neighborhood children. Being hit by a car is by far the greatest threat to any child walking to school. Make sure your kids stay on the sidewalk and only cross at crosswalks. Remember to remind your children to never, ever stop to talk to strangers on the way to and from school and, most importantly, never to get into any vehicle with a stranger. These could potentially be life threatening situations.
Bicycle Safety
Children peddling to school on bicycles must wear bike helmets – it’s the law. Helmets are the single most effective devices for cyclists, greatly reducing the risk of death or critical injury. Your children should ride their bicycles on the right side of the road and obey stop signs and traffic signals. Continue reading
Here is a recent Ribbon cutting for Big Dan’s Car Wash. The ribbon cutting was put on by the Lady Lake Chamber of Commerce. As you can see it was well attended. 135 US-441, Lady Lake FL 32159
UF Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine – Spanish Springs officially cut the ribbon for its new office located across the highway from UF Health The Villages®️ Hospital. Patients can now easily access their orthopedic specialist by golf cart.
Carbon Monoxide Safety- Keys to prevent a hazardous condition
Carbon Monoxide is called the invisible killer. It is a colorless and odorless gas often striking victims catching them off guard or while sleeping. It is poisonous and can cause headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, and dizziness. In severe cases, exposure to this gas can cause neurological damage, mental confusion, vomiting, loss of muscular coordination, loss of consciousness, and death. Continue reading
To: Lady Lake Business owners, Entrepreneurs and New Businesses
From: Jim Rietz, Lady Lake Mayor
On behalf of the Lady Lake Town Commission, I am pleased to announce !hat on June 20, 2022, !he Commission voted unanimously to repeal !he annual requirement to acquire a Business Tax Receipt. Two ordinances were adopted that removed all
references to the business taxes from our Code of Ordinances and Land Development Regulations.
After the devastating effect on businesses from the pandemic over the last couple of
years and the uncertain days ahead, the Commission wants to show their support for
local businesses. Locally owned businesses play a major role in healthy communities and contribute to promoting economic opportunity.
